Use of streaming media technology (e.g. video over Internet Protocol (IP) and voice over IP) is growing across all market segments, inclusive of consumer, enterprise, and public safety. Today, such media is commonly transported over wired or fixed wireless networks. However, advances in wireless broadband technology are enabling such media to also be streamed over next generation wireless broadband networks.
Wireless networks are generally bandwidth limited with respect to the demand for use of these networks. Contention for wireless resources, coupled with the physics of mobile wireless (e.g. signal strength, fading) typically cause great fluctuations in available bandwidth between any two devices communicating over the network. When bandwidth demands of an application within a source device exceed instantaneous bandwidth available on the network, packet loss occurs.
This is an important consideration, as the packet loss pattern inflicted on streaming media, such as audio and video, has ramifications on the quality of the media when it is reproduced at a destination device. Notably, some amount of random-like packet loss within a media stream is anticipated, and can be effectively concealed by an error resilient decoder. Overloaded best effort transmission queues, however, typically do not inflict random-like packet loss upon a media stream, but rather indiscriminately drop or delay long chains of consecutive packets. Consecutive packet loss, as opposed to random-like packet loss, will cause significantly degrading artifacts in the decoded media quality.
As noted above, some amount of packet loss is unavoidable due to the constrained nature of wireless networks. Furthermore, uncontrolled packet loss can lead to significantly degraded media quality.
Thus, there exists a need for a mechanism to control which video packets are discarded by a wireless network, thereby, providing unequal packet loss protection in such a way as to optimize decoded media quality.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of various embodiments. In addition, the description and drawings do not necessarily require the order illustrated. It will be further appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. Apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the various embodiments so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. Thus, it will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, common and well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment may not be depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments.